Know Your MTBF
“If your purchase history file goes back far enough to include the expected date that some of your products will wear out or fail, you can give your customers an … Continue Reading →
News
Measuring Incremental Vs. Overall Response
When measuring the effectiveness of a promotion, the focus should always be on the incremental order activity that is generated by the promotion, according to Jim Wheaton, a principle with Chapel Hill, NC-based database solutions firm Wheaton Group. The overall order activity during the promotion
Financial Reports: Dell, Blair, Sharper Image
Dell’s record quarter nonetheless disappoints, Blair boosts income despite sales decline, and Sharper Image warns of tough times ahead
Live from Catalog on the Road: Time to Make a Deal?
If you’re looking to sell your multichannel marketing business, you may be in luck. According to Michael Petsky, CEO of New York-based investment bank Petsky-Prunier, dozens of private equity groups are actively seeking to acquire multichannel merchants. “Strategic buyers are becoming more aggressive,” he said.
Financial Reports: Office Depot, Collegiate Pacific
Office Depot reports “sluggish” catalog sales; Collegiate Pacific ends the quarter in the black.
Financial Reports: Guitar Center, School Specialty, Aramark
Guitar Center ended the year on an up note, School Specialty grew sales and announced a new brand, and Aramark’s direct division had a tough quarter.
Black Box Creates Another Spin-off
Networking products and services cataloger Black Box Corp. is expanding its wireless offerings in a spin-off catalog devoted to wireless networking products and installation services. The launch comes on the heels of an October 2004 mailing of a 260-page security products spin-off.
Ludwig Offers Tips to Enter “Supercharged Selling State”
George Ludwig, a nationally known keynote speaker, has more than 25 years of sales, sales management, and sales training experience, including five years of presenting his sales success seminar all over the country. As sales trainer, coach, and corporate consultant, Ludwig trains over 10,000 people per year from various corporations and associations. Yet even Ludwig says, “Selling is scary. If you doubt it, you’ve never stood before a dour-faced prospect, stomach churning and palms sweating, images from recent rejections swirling in your mind like some tornado of self-loathing.” Of course, he’s not talking about himself; he’s talking about you. But in his new book, Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code (Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004, ISBN: 0-7931-8571-8, $19.95), Ludwig offers some tips to help “Supercharge Your Selling Skills” and overcome the fear that, he says, is all in your mind.
Executives Around the World Look Forward to 2005 Growth
The London office of the Economist Intelligence Unit has issued a “CEO Briefing” that indicates a widely hopeful attitude toward the possibilities for growth in 2005, with 88% of the companies surveyed predicting growth of some sort over the next three years. Improved customer service, cost efficiency, and innovation are credited for the positive outlook. In fact, 34% of respondents expect robust growth.